And So It Ends
by LoonyLoopyLupin96
Summary: Before the final battle begins, Harry realises there's something he has to tell Remus about his time in Malfoy Manor.


Behind and ahead; people were arriving at every door to join the up and coming battle for the future of Hogwarts.

Back in the Room of Requirement, a notable group caught the eye of Hermione.

"Harry, look who's here."

Harry turned to his left, seeing for the first time in what felt like years his favourite professor.

Worn down and ragged looking, Remus' entry through the hole in the wall appeared slow and uneasy. He was helped down by his wife, whom granted a small smile in gratitude, before turning his attention to the students around him.

In the past, he'd shocked himself enough times into believing it was James he saw when he clapped eyes upon Harry, but it still managed to render him momentarily stunned to see his friend; young and whole, again.

"Hello Harry," he said, his voice stronger than his appearance might have a person believe.

"Remus.."

Remus nodded, there wasn't a need to go into past politics, "Everything is well in the household; Teddy is sleeping through the night, Tonks and I…" His smile finished his statement in a way words never could. It managed to, at least in that moment, reduce the aged appearance he had developed through the years.

"Are you sure about being here? Both of you?" Harry asked, grateful for the support despite his concern.

Remus nodded certainly, "It's the right thing to do; as a parent, it's my job to ensure the world my child grows up in is a safe one. That's my responsibility, mine and my dear wife's. We're all here for our own reasons. And, I confess," he continued wryly, "There are a couple of people I wouldn't mind seeing the end of."

Harry's face moved suddenly, and it was a change Remus noticed instantly.

"Is everything okay with you, Harry?"

"Yeah, yeah – it's just… There's something I ought to tell you, and I don't know what's going to happen today. I'm not sure I'll get another chance, but I don't know if now is the right time…"

By the time Harry had finished his statement, Remus had already put a hand at the small of his back and was guiding Harry away from the throng of people anxiously anticipating some excitement.

Remus began to adopt his old fathering and tutoring role as he addressed Harry, "Go on, what is it that's troubling you? Take your time; this is just a normal day at the office."

Harry smiled gratefully, but pondered seriously how to say what it was he was going to say.

Was he to come straight out with it, or to test the water gradually?

His eyes passed over Remus' face slowly; once, twice…

"When we were back at Malfoy Manor," he began slowly, his gaze trailing back to the knots in the wooden flooring beneath them, "there were various people around. The usual Draco, Lucius and Narcissa… As well as Scabior, Bellatrix... Fenrir-"

His gaze shot back up to Remus', whose face had remained impassive.

"-and Wormtail."

Despite knowing Peter to have been alive, and in the circles of those on the dark side, Remus couldn't help but flinch slightly to have a recent sighting confirmed.

"He was bound to reappear at some point," Remus replied, simply for the sake of not leaving Harry in the dreaded pit of silence.

"Yes, he had the replacement hand he'd been issued in the graveyard during the tournament," Harry continued, working his way to the point in a gradual way which meant he ought to have covered all bases before delivering the final point.

"He was a slave, pretty much – not that I'm feeling sorry for him in that sense-"

Remus cocked his head slightly; whether at Harry's tone or his words was unclear, but he felt there was something missing from the tale.

"What happened, Harry?"

"At one point, he was doing what he'd been told. Dumb things; locking the gate to the basement, fetching us around…"

"Carry on…"

"Then we came to make our escape. We waited, until he came down to us and made a break for it once the gate had been unlocked. But…he got in the way. I didn't have a wand then, I figured he'd…"

"Be your end, as he did..James, Lily and…to a certain extent, Sirius?" Remus prompted, matter-of-fact.

Harry nodded, "But…"

"He didn't."

"No, suddenly he wasn't in control. His hand…it turned on him… It took him, by the neck and choked the life-"

Remus' breathing hitched, and he cleared his throat. Instinctively, he reached out to offer support to the youth before him, and spoke in a tone that was barely audible, despite their proximity, "Okay, Harry, I get the idea. Peter, is he dead?"

It seemed that despite knowing, the uncertainty was still rife within Remus.

"I need to hear it, Harry. I have to know that it's over."

There was an edge to his voice, a slight waver.

"Tell me."

"Peter is dead."

Remus hiccoughed, unable to refrain in his troubled state. He had been sure, so sure that he would have known when the last marauder died. For that's what Peter had been. For some time, Peter had just been one of them. Like him, a child with no place until he was adopted by his fellow classmates.

Classmates who had found their ends as a result of Peter; the end of their life, the end of their freedom.

Should it make Remus happy, now that Peter, too, had found his end?

"Remus?"

Harry brought Remus' thoughts back to their present climate.

He found he was lost amid the aura of fear and excitement around him; was his place here with them?

With his energy depleting, it seemed as though his battle had reached its conclusion before the larger battle had even begun. That which connected him to his youth no longer remained to be. Justice had been served.

For a moment, leaving seemed like a viable option.

But he looked up; there was his wife, waiting with the members of the Order who hadn't been teaching for the duration of the year; waiting for their chance to assist in the effort against terror.

Everyone had something to fight for; one death didn't change that. His fight hadn't ended. He had his part to play.

Standing, with Harry following suit, Remus became aware of the lightness throughout him. Reduced pressure; a reduction in the tensions around him.

"What are you going to do now?" Harry asked, as though he could see the indecision upon Remus' face.

Remus considered the question, nodding to himself.

"I…" He paused, considering his words, before they gushed from him with what remained of his uncertainty, "I understand there is a larger task at hand, of which you are involved? If you should require a hand, I shall willingly be of assistance to you. As for now, I shall return to my wife. I shall take her hand as the Order and the Army are assembled, and we shall make the best of what we may. For many, the fight has just begun."

"I'm sorry, Remus," Harry said, once his old professor had finished. Despite his youth, Harry seemed to have realised that beside Remus' relief, there would be an element of mourning.

The two embraced, and on parting Remus smiled, "Good luck, Harry. I'll see you again, some time."

Leaving behind the last piece of his youth, Remus returned to his wife and to the Order to join the effort in the Great Battle. The battle which would be his last.


End file.
